Albert Institute, 24 Albert Square, Dundee, Dundee, Dundee

Entry Name: Albert Institute, 24 Albert Square, Dundee

Listing Name: Albert Square, Mcmanus Galleries, Formerly Albert Institute, Including Lampstandards

Listing Date: 4 February 1965

Category: A

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 361059

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB24939

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: McManus Art Gallery
McManus Art Gallery and Museum

ID on this website: 200361059

Location: Dundee

County: Dundee

Town: Dundee

Electoral Ward: Maryfield

Traditional County: Angus

Tagged with: Museum Art museum Local authority museum

Description

Sir George Gilbert Scott, 1865-7; central section approximately

following Scott's design externally, David Mackenzie, 1873; E wing William Alexander, 1887. Large 2-storey, attenuated U-plan, museum and art gallery in Early Decorated Gothic style with Scots Baronial embellishments, built as a memorial to Prince Albert. Stugged cream sandstone coursers with lighter ashlar dressings, grey slate roof. Base course, string course at 1st floor, corbelled wallhead cornice with trefoil openwork parapet and gablet coping, gablet-coped crowstepped gables with finials, buttresses. Finialled, pyramidal-roofed angle turrets with arrowslit ventilators; ornate octagonal fleches with gablets and finialled, crocketted spire, figures to angles of fleche at W wing. Various window designs, mainly 2-light pointed windows with hoodmoulds, colonette mullions and nook shafts, some overarched. Coped, linked round-section stacks. Rectangular-

plan cast-iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers.

N ELEVATION: recessed centre section. 2 bays to centre (1865-7); 2-leaf panelled door to left, moulded pointed-arch doorcase with nook shafts and sculpted tympanum, 2-light overarched window to right, two 2-light windows to 1st floor, steeply-pitched piended roof with finials and gabled dormers to front and left return. Bay to right (1865-7); slightly advanced octagonal stair tower, 2 pointed windows, open work parapet, round drum with finialled conical roof. 2 bays recessed to left (1873), two 2-light overarched windows to ground floor, two 2-

light windows to 1st floor. 2-bay gable advanced to far right (1865-7); two 2-light windows to ground floor, 1 to left return, 2

overarched 4-light windows to 1st (hall) floor, rose window above. 6-bay wing advanced to far left (1887); six 2-light overarched windows to ground floor, 2-light blind windows to 1st floor, full-width continuous rooflight, fleche, 2-bay gable to right return with similar glazing pattern, wheel window to roofspace, 3 paterae, 2 further similarly detailed bays to right with door to ground floor.

W ELEVATION: 5-bay. Large oval double staircase to centre rising on pointed-arch arcade with trefoil-headed coped balustrade to advanced flat-roofed porch at 1st (hall) floor, 2-leaf panelled doors, richly decorated doorcase consisting of polished Peterhead granite nook shafts, moulded pointed arch with sculpted tympanum and spandrels including portrait heads of Victoria and Albert; 2 bays to left and right with 2-light windows to ground floor and 3-light overarched windows with oculus and diaper-work spandrels to 1st floor; 4 lucarnes and large fleche.

S ELEVATION: gable and 4 bays to left (1865-7); 2-bay gable advanced to left, two bipartite windows to ground floor, 2 three-light overarched windows to 1st floor with oculus and diaper-work spandrels, wheel window above; 2-storey flat-roofed porch at right re-entrant with open pointed arches to ground and 2-light windows to 1st floor; 3 bays to right with 2-light overarched windows to ground floor, 2-light windows to 1st floor, 4 crowstepped dormers, crowstepped gable at right return.

4 bays to right (1873); three 2-light overarched windows with

trefoil at ground floor, door to right with single storey flat-roofed

porch in re-entrant of advanced gable to far right, 4 blind 3-light

windows to 1st floor, full length ridge light with trefoil-headed

windows. 2-bay gable advanced to right (1887); two 2-light overarched windows with trefoil to ground floor, 2 blind bipartites to 1st floor, blind stepped tripartite to gable with open-work balcony, 3 paterae.

E ELEVATION: 5 bays to left; five 2-light overarched windows with trefoils to ground floor, 5 blind 2-light windows to 1st; 2-bay gable advanced to right, detailed similarly to right hand gable at S elevation.

INTERIOR: rib-vaulted entrance hall with polished Peterhead granite columns, stiff-leaf capitals, encaustic tile floor; geometric stair with cast-iron balusters, stained glass stair windows commemorating the Institute's 50th anniversary by Clayton and Bell, London, dated 1916. Original hall has pointed-arch timber roof with rafters alternately supported by sculpted corbels and wall posts; 1873 gallery had timber queen post roof with full-length ridge light; 1887 gallery has coved timber, glass and plaster roof.

LAMPSTANDARDS: 4 cast-iron lampstandards with globes on tall pedestals to doors at N elevation; 6 decorative cast-iron lampstandards at W elevation staircase, 4 with globes, 2 with wrought-iron ornaments, truncated bases of 4 further lampstands.

Statement of Interest

Scott's design was based upon his unexecuted design for the Hamburg Rathaus. The Institute was built by a private company and is the grandest memorial to Prince Albert outside London. There was formerly a porch to the principal door at the north elevation, and a fountain to the west on an axis with the staircase, demolished circa 1940.

External Links

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